Plato (428-348 B.C.), a disciple of Socrates, was one of the greatest thinkers in Greek philosophy in the anthropological period. Through metaphysical thoughts, the Plato's main ideas stand out, mainly, for their dualistic theory, where the he world is divided between the World of Ideas and the World of Senses .

In short, the World of Ideas would be the intellectual reality, that is, the rationality of the human being, while the World of Senses would be the reality we face in everyday life, through sensible experiences, which would be an illusion that leads people into error, because the appearance of things does not correspond to their essence.

Who was Plato?

Plato was one of the most prominent philosophers of Ancient Greece and, as a disciple of Socrates, he stood out for having left the largest collection of Socrates' texts known until then.

As for Plato's story, he was a young aristocrat, who was dedicated to sports and politics. When he became a disciple of Socrates, he was the author of "The Apology of Socrates," where he tells the story of his mentor, his trial, conviction, and death.

In addition, after the death of his mentor, he founded the Academy, which was a space dedicated to teaching and discussing political and philosophical issues for young people in Athens.

Plato's Main Ideas

Among Plato's main ideas is the distinction between the World of Ideas and the World of Senses, where the former is characterized by clear and objective knowledge. Sensitive knowledge, on the other hand, is related to appearance, where the human being is susceptible to illusion.

However, for you to better understand Plato's main ideas, it is necessary to understand the various aspects of his philosophical thoughts, such as:

• Dialectics;
• Idealism (Worlds of Ideas);
• Sensible World;
• Politics.

Dialectics

The Platonic Dialectic consists of a technique of reaching a conclusion, based on opposing ideas, which would then be, synthesis, thesis and antithesis In other words, it is the technique of reaching a conclusion through dialogue, debating opposing ideas in order to reach a common understanding.

Thus, dialectics is among Plato's main ideas, being centered on the concept of truth and the belief that truth can be achieved through philosophical discussions Thus, only by confronting the allegations of an interlocutor, is it possible to arrive at the truth.

For, through discussions, the interlocutor is forced to reflect on the premises of his argument and thus find the truth.

Idealism

Idealism, or also called the World of Ideas, is one of the most striking among the Plato's main ideas For this theory, it is through the knowledge of ideas, as immutable and perfect, that true knowledge is attained, as opposed to knowledge of matter, obtained through the senses, which is deceptive.

In this sense, in Plato's World of Ideas, ideal knowledge is rational knowledge, which can only be attained by our intellect. This indicates that true reality is not in the material world It can only be achieved through reason.

Therefore, for Plato, all things in the physical world are just an imitation of the true ideas. Thus, he believed that the ideas were eternal, unchanging and absolute, and were the basis of all knowledge, truth and intellect.

In this way, he argued that to really understand the world, a knowledge of ideas in themselves is necessary, and not of things, since things are only imperfect imitations. He then emphasized that true knowledge comes from seeking the ideas and not from observing the world itself.

World of Senses

In short, the World of the Senses is Plato's philosophical theory that explains the nature of reality. Thus, for Plato, there are two distinct worlds: the sensible world, which includes all things that can be perceived by the senses and the World of Ideas, which includes universal and immutable truths.

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In this sense, the sensible world is made up of changeable and changeable objects, while the World of Ideas is made up of eternal, immutable and perfect patterns. Thus, for Plato, knowledge of universal truths cannot be obtained through observation of the sensible world, but only through logical reasoning.

In conclusion, Plato's World of the Senses is the world we experience in its material form, which is a copy of the World of Ideas. And being a copy, it is subject to error, not becoming eternal.

Policy

According to Plato, there are three different types of character that shape people's personalities. Thus, according to political theory, each type has a function in society that must be fulfilled in order to create a perfect political organization Classified as character:

• Concupiscent: more connected with freedom and desires, it would be suitable for manual and handicraft work;
• Irascible: dominated by angry impulses, it would give individuals the ability to serve in the army;
• Rational: closer to rationality and justice, it would allow people to govern, that is, to act in politics.

Ideas from Plato's philosophy in phrases

• "Ideas are the source of all things."
• "Try to move the world, but start by moving yourself."
• "An unquestioned life is not worth living."
• "Cities will only achieve happiness if philosophers become kings or if kings become philosophers."
• "Of all the wild animals, the young man is the most difficult to tame."
• "Searching and learning, in reality, are nothing more than remembering."
• "Opinion is the middle ground between knowledge and ignorance."
• "Many hate tyranny just so they can establish their own."
• "Truth is the beginning of all good for the gods and all good for man."

Main works of Plato's great ideas

Most of Plato's works are dialogues, in which Socrates is the protagonist. These have a central theme, but unlike Aristotelian writing, they are not limited to the subject in question, and may address other related or unrelated topics. Plato's main ideas :

• Apology of Socrates;
• Youthful or Socratic dialogues;
• Lacques, or Of Courage;
• Transitional dialogues;
• Hypos minor and Hypos major;
• Dialogues of Maturity;
• Gorgias;
• Phedon;
• The Republic;
• Considered old age dialogues;
• The Banquet.

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